Alternative Eating: exploring gluten-free, paleo & clean eating

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Category Archives for Meals

This is an incredibly easy and fun meal to make! You need a food processor (I used a magic bullet) for the cauliflower, but everything else it pretty basic. If you are trying to time your meal, start with the summer squash and cauliflower mash and then move on to the pork chops when once the cauliflower is cooked.

Recipe for Roasted Summer Sqauash

1. Preheat your oven to 400.

2. Prep your summer squash one of two ways: spears or disks. Place in a zip lock bag and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and any other seasoning you desire (I used cayenne and minced garlic).

3. Place squash in a single layer on a baking sheet or in a glass baking dish

4. Bake on top shelf for for 35-40 minutes.

Recipe for Garlic Cauliflower Mash

1. Boil a pot of water over high heat.

2. Cook cauliflower for about 5 minutes or until soft.

3. Drain the cauliflower and add to your food processor or immersion blender.

4. Puree your mash with freshly minced garlic, 2 tbsp of margarine, 2 tbsp of cream cheese and a little milk if you have in on hand.

5. Place in serving bowl and mix in salt and pepper to taste. Top with a little grated Parmesan or chives for extra taste and flair!

Recipe for Pan-seared Pork Chop;

1. Preheat oven to 400 with an oven safe pan inside.

2. Once oven is preheated, carefully remove the pan and place on your burner on medium high heat. Spray pan with no-stick spray and place salt-and-pepper-seasoned pork chops in the pan. Let sit for approximately 3 minutes. (The meat will sizzle and turn a nice golden brown.)

3. Flip the pork chops and place in oven and cook for 10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees.

I stumbled upon this recipe on Instagram and instantly high-tailed it to the nearest grocery store to buy ingredients.

…And let me just say, yes, it does taste as good as it looks.

This gluten-free alternative to cheesy garlic breadsticks is absolutely delicious and I’m so happy to share it with you! Enjoy the Cheesy Cauliflower Breadstick goodness and let me know what you think!

Ingredients for Cheesy Cauliflower Breadsticks

2 C cauliflower, “riced”

2 eggs

2 C mozzarella cheese

2 tsp oregano

2 cloves garlic, minced

Salt and pepper

How to Make Gluten-Free Cheesy Cauliflower Breadsticks

1) Preheat oven to 425 and prep 1 large baking sheet with a non-stick cooking spray.

I spent last weekend visiting my younger sister who attends Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Though many would expect, in such a situation, to be served mac n’ cheese or ramen for dinner, I was greeted with the opposite kind of meal: A well-planned, gluten-free version of a family favorite, Chicken Parmesan. I’m happy to share her recipe below and hope you enjoy learning how to make Homemade Gluten Free Chicken Parmesan!

Here’s one of my favorite, healthy, paleo, gluten-free sides: (Garlic) Sauteed Spinach and Mushrooms. It only takes about 10 minutes to make and goes great with chicken!

Ingredients for Sauteed Spinach and Mushrooms:

baby spinach (10 oz package)

1/2 lb sliced mushrooms

2-4 garlic cloves (to taste–I love garlic, so I go on the heavy side)

olive oil

salt & pepper

How to Make Sauteed Spinach and Mushroom Side Dish (2-4 servings)

1. Heat olive oil in a medium/large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add mushrooms to oil and cook for approximately 5 minutes.
3. Add minced garlic, salt and fresh pepper to the mushrooms and let cook for two minutes before adding the spinach.
4. Add spinach and sauté, stirring until wilted.

They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and this recipe is a perfect testament to that….

That’s right ladies, you had him at “bacon-wrapped.”

I’m excited to share this recipe because, though easy to make, it’s a huge crowd-pleaser! It’s pretty much the same effort to make 1 serving as it is to make 4-6.

Bacon-wrapped Stuffed Chicken Recipe (1 Servings)

Ingredients for Bacon-wrapped Stuffed Chicken:

1 Chicken Breast

2 Tbsp Philadephia Chive & Onion Cream Cheese (1/3 less fat)

2 slices bacon, partially cooked

How to Make Bacon-wrapped Stuffed Chicken
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Pound the chicken breast to 1/4 inch thick and

spread the cream cheese over one side of chicken breast. 3. Roll chicken breast up to conceal cream cheese mixture.
4. Microwave bacon on a paper towel for 20-45 seconds. Wrap partially cooked bacon slices around chicken breast and secure with a damp toothpick.
5. Place on a baking sheet (use one with a lip) and bake 30 minutes 375 F.
6. Turn oven up to BROIL for 5-10 minutes to crisp up bacon.

My mother has always been big on holiday traditions, especially those related to food. Every Christmas evening we devour a tender roast beast and every Christmas morning we dive into a yummy strata.

There are usually two breakfast strata’s on the menu, but my favorite has always been her cheesy Canadian bacon strata.

The best things about this Christmas brunch? 1) It requires low-effort prep, 2) it is easily halved or doubled to feed the appropriate party, and 3) it features a relatively low cook time!

I made my mother’s fabulous make-ahead Christmas breakfast casserole recipe gluten-free by using Udi’s white sandwich bread! Udi’s has encouraged bloggers all over the states to share fun holiday gluten-free recipes, and I’m thrilled to contribute one so close to me and my family!

The half recipe is pictured here, but I’ve included the full recipe below!

If you’ve ever dabbled in gluten-free, paleo or clean eating, then you’ve probably heard of an oblong winter squash called the spaghetti squash. The spaghetti squash is commonly suggested as a pasta substitute for specialty diets or as a carb-cutting trick.

The stringy, buttery and tender texture of the squash makes it an easy swap. As you scrape out the yummy insides, it even LOOKS like pasta (of the rice or angel hair variety).

Here’s the first of two spaghetti squash recipes I plan to feature in the coming weeks. It’s a spaghetti squash take on traditional lasagna, and it’s delicious!

It’s also easy to freeze and store for later! Bonus!

Ingredients:

1 medium spaghetti squash (when you pick it out, make sure there are no soft spots)

1 cup ricotta cheese

½ cup parmesan cheese

2 cups grated mozzarella

1 tsp Italian herbs

2 eggs

1 jar of marinara sauce (I suggest mushroom marinara)

How to Make The Best Spaghetti Squash Lasagna:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. To prep the spaghetti squash, use a large knife to poke 10-12 holes around the squash. This will allow the squash to vent as it cooks. Place the squash in the microwave and cook for 6 minutes on each side. Let sit in the microwave for a few additional minutes.

(You can cook it in the oven, but I prefer the microwave! Same effect, significantly faster. See options here.)

3. Remove the squash from the microwave and cut off the stem. (It should cut easily since it has baked through.) Cut the squash lengthwise and begin removing seeds. Once all seeds have been removed and the squash is hollow, use a fork to shred the squash and remove the “spaghetti.”

4. In a lightly greased pan, spread squash as the first layer.

5. In a medium bowl combine ricotta, herbs, parmesan, and eggs. Mix well and spread mixture over squash.

6. Cover first two layers with marinara sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella over the top.